There’s a real problem with the way they teach kids about diversity and prejudice and all those related topics in the U.S. (and probably elsewhere, but I’m only familiar with the way it’s done here). We’re taught from a very young age that not only is everyone equal, but everyone is essentially the same. Differences aren’t acknowledged. Sure, we may be told that individuals are different, but not that there are any differences between groups, whether they be ethnic groups, racial groups, religious groups, or any other kind of group.
It’s ridiculous if you think about it. We’re taught that our experiences shape the people we become. The things we experience at a young age determine, at least in part, the way we act and think as an adult.
So why wouldn’t our ethnicity, our heritage, our religion, and also our race, have an effect on the kind of person we are? There are going to be differences between people who are raised in different environments. And many of the factors that determine those difference are deeply rooted in race, ethnicity, heritage, and religion. To try to say otherwise is ignorant.
We need to teach kids that yes, there are differences between people, and sometimes those differences are because of ethnicity, race or religion. Sometimes they’re not. But it’s okay if they are; it’s okay if someone has a different outlook on life because of the way they were raised, because of the traditions of their religion or ethnic background.
We need to teach kids that different doesn’t inherently mean better or worse. We need to let kids explore their differences and learn about why those differences exist. This prepares kids for dealing with people from all walks of life when they become adults. It teaches kids that it’s okay to ask a question if you don’t understand why someone does something a certain way, and that it’s not inherently offensive if someone wants to know why you do one thing or another. We should learn from each other, and one way to do so is to explore how and why we are different.
The idea that it’s somehow offensive or bigoted or racist or whatever to acknowledge that there are differences between ethnic groups, religions, races, or any other group is preposterous. Ignoring those differences brings us no closer to a world that is truly free of racism and prejudice than believing stereotypes.
We need to reach out to one another, to understand why differences exist, and to embrace those differences as what makes the world a unique and wonderful place to live. We need to stop thinking that we all have to be the same in order to get along. We need to stop worrying so much about being politically correct and start making an effort to really understand each other. With understanding and empathy, those differences matter less and less, and we can all move past them and look at each other as people—nothing more, nothing less.
